When will you be mine?
by ieatwunderbars
Summary: Shinichi's face became serious as he wrapped his arm around Ran's waist. Ran's eyes widened at the shock of touch of his hand. It was the second time today that they were at a I've-been-waiting-for-this-for-so-long moment. ON HIATUS.
1. You still surprise me

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or any of its characters.

Chapter one: You still surprise me

"Kudoooooo! Get your lazy ass out of your house right now! You're late for your soccer training!" Ran shouted at Shinichi's gate. The whole neighborhood would have probably heard her angry remark especially since it was nine o'clock in the morning.

Shinichi got his jacket and locked the door. He managed to hastily put on his sneakers while stuffing his soccer cleats inside his backpack. He was thinking of something equally menacing to bite back at her but he managed to push the thought back into the dark corners of his mind. Besides, he is still eternally grateful that she managed to hang on to him this long. After all these years, he still couldn't say it right; those few words that would make her his. _His Ran._

"Thanks for waking up the whole of Beika for me, mom." Shinichi greeted Ran with his ever so irresistible smile.

Ran rolled her eyes and said, "I'll never get tired of screaming at your gate."

They walked in silence for a while but it was enough for Ran to look at Shinichi from the corner of her eye. His blue eyes still had the morning glow to them and his soccer uniform managed to make his eyes stand out more. His shorts ended at the right spot where you can admire what Shinichi's crazy group of fan girls squeal about.

"Hey, you've been staring fifteen seconds too long. My face needs some attention, too." He gently held Ran's chin at directed her face so that their faces were now a few inches away from each other.

Suddenly, Ran did something that Shinichi never expected her to.

She put her arms around his neck. And slowly, slowly drew her lips closer to his. Her eyes were closed and she was clutching his neck with an intense grip as if to say, _"I'm not letting you go."_

Shinichi found himself putting his arms unsurely around her waist. He inched closer and was about to press his lips onto hers until…

"You wish." Ran pulled away from him and smacked the top of his head as she howled in laughter.

Shinichi's cheeks blushed. "Hey, hey. I know that you wanted me to kiss you only…"

"I know." Ran adjusted the strap of her purse. "I wouldn't want to smell your stinky breath. Gosh, Shin, at least pop some breath mints when I wake you up."

Shinichi gave a lazy shrug and they spent the rest of the walk to school in silence.

* * *

"There's the star of the show!" One of Shinichi's soccer mates called out from the middle of the field. "Hey, Ran, we need your husband for a few hours. We got a game to fire up for!"

Shinichi and Ran both blushed and Ran sat on the bleachers uncomfortably. How come other people could tell them that they were supposed to be together, a couple, when they themselves couldn't even bear those very awkward moments after one of them does something that would end up making both of them blush and look away.

Shinichi sat beside her while lacing up his cleats. "I hope the Osaka team can handle Teitan High."

Ran smiled. "Oh, I bet their tight geeky shorts will drop once they see the great Kudo Shinichi!"

"That's the Ran I pay for to be my best friend! Since I'm your husband now, you have to sit patiently on the bleachers and wait for me to finish kicking some soccer ass."

Ran kicked the grass in front of where he was standing. "You have such an imagination, dear." She made such she made an emphasis on dear. "Now go! It's bad enough that you're late but you just made it worse by making us _married_!"

* * *

Shinichi made his way past his team mates towards the goal. A swift movement of his leg was able to pass the ball to his team mate next to the goal.

It was just practice but he felt the sudden drive to give his all. Maybe it was the excitement for next week's game or the weird feeling in his stomach every time he saw Ran sitting on the bleachers watching him. She had her earphones on and her iPod was resting on her lap. He liked the way she swayed her head side to side with the rhythm of the music. It was as if she was always meant to be there with him when he needed one of his ego-boosters. She managed to make him feel right when it seemed he effed his life one too many a time.

Again, the ball was in his possession. A few meters and he would have a goal. He liked the feel of the ball drumming against his foot with each step he took.

The goal keeper was now at a ready stance. His hair fell in front of his eyes. _Damn, I'm so close already. _

He focused his eyes on the goal and with a forceful kick; he put his force into shooting the ball in to the goal.

The ball zoomed past the goal keeper's hands and he tumbled down unsuccessful in preventing Shinichi's goal.

The Coach's whistle blew and he called them to the benches. "Great job, guys! Keep this up and we're ready for Osaka next Saturday. Shinichi, if you play that well during the game, I assure Teitan High of a win!" His team mates roared in approval and patted him on the back. "We'll continue practice starting Monday. I'll give you the rest of the weekend to cool your muscles off."

With that, Shinichi approached his backpack and got out his water bottle. He was gulping down water when he heard, "Tsk, tsk." Ran was shaking her head in disapproval. "You almost didn't get that in."

"_Almost. _But I did. Isn't that what's important?" He went back to finishing off his water.

Ran put her hand on his shoulder. "If you're this confident, at least let me make you remember one thing."

Without another word, she was brushing the hair off his sweaty forehead. He felt hot and sticky but she was sure his heart was pounding an extra hundred beats with every second her hands swept his black hair away from covering his blue eyes. He saw her face bent in careful concentration as if she would scar his face with one wrong stroke.

He dropped the water bottle and before she could do another round of fixing, he put her hand into his and smiled. "Thanks, wifey."

Ran laughed and punched his arm. "Don't mention it."

They were both oblivious that they were being surrounded by Shinichi's team mates who were oogling at their so-called "love fest."

"So, when's the wedding?" Tomohisa, one of the defenders, joked.

Shinichi's face became serious as he wrapped his arm around Ran's waist. Ran's eyes widened at the shock of touch of his hand. It was the second time today that they were at a I've-been-waiting-for-this-for-so-long moment. She then caught up with his act and snaked her hand and rested it on his chest. Shinichi smiled and said, "We're still thinking about it." They spent a couple more minutes doing their married couple act but soon managed to get away from the crowd and exit school.

Once they walked past the first two blocks, Shinichi remarked, "We were good out there, don't you think?" He flashed Ran a sneaky smile.

"Yeah. You play the jerk-husband role pretty well. Come to think of it, you pull it off _perfectly._ Who knew that the great detective could play the great husband, too?"

They stopped walking and waited for the pedestrian light to turn green.

"Speaking of being a great husband, dear," He shot her an affectionate look. "I'm hungry." He pouted his lips and put his hands on his face to make a "feed me" look.

"My, you are one demanding boy." She grabbed his hand as the light turned green. "Let's just walk to my place. I'll whip something up for lunch."

"Just make sure you don't put some potassium cyanide into my rice bowl."

Ran combed her chin with her chin with her hand. "Hmm. That just gave me an idea."

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm starting this series on two of my favorite people in the world: Ran and Shinichi! If anyone knows some cute moments they have in the Manga or in the tv show, I would be eternally grateful if you sent me a link or a message! Any suggestions or comments? I'd love to see them if you rate and review! **


	2. I dare you to make a move

Chapter 2: I dare you to make a move

"Ran! Is breakfast ready yet?" Mouri Kogoro shouted across the living room while Ran was still busy fixing breakfast—his breakfast.

"Just a few more minutes, Dad! It's a good thing I'm making you breakfast so just try to be patient." Ran was used to her dad being a prick even very early in the morning. Since she was left to make sure her dad ate something edible, she had to make sure his menu consisted of something aside from instant noodles and cereal.

Kogoro had his feet prepped up on the coffee table while reading the morning newspaper. _Kudo Shinichi solves puzzling murder_, the headline screamed at his face. _Bah, that Kudo friend of Ran is really getting my costumers! _It wasn't his fault that Ran's best friend had a jumpstart on detective skills. He'd just have to pray harder for a chance to earn money from someone who's looking for their ex-boyfriend in high school or a suspicious mom babbling about how "oddly perfect" her son's girlfriend is.

"Here are your eggs and bacon. I gotta get going, Dad. I'll just eat my sandwich while walking to school." Ran called out as she closed the door of their apartment.

She chewed on her sandwich while pretending to study the intricate lines of the sidewalk. Her eyes wandered to the cars which zoomed by and the people who walked past her. It was another busy morning in the Beika district.

The wind was quite strong that morning and her skirt would flutter and show some skin on her thighs every once in a while. She didn't mind since it was still a decent length and her messenger's bag was pushing down the back of her skirt.

Her feet padded monotonously on the sidewalk until someone bumped into her causing her bag to slide off her shoulder, onto the pavement and her sandwich to meet its sick doom as it fell onto the street gutter.

_Great. What a way to start a morning. _Ran bent down to pick up her bag, when someone called out, "Hey, Ran! Wait up for me!" She was still busy picking up her bag and didn't bother to look at who had called her when suddenly a strong gush of wind blew. _Whoosh! _Her skirt flew up revealing her black bikini undies. Flustered, she immediately put her hands to put down her skirt. She behind her and saw the person who had called out to her.

Shinichi.

"I never expected that this early in the morning." He craned his neck to look at the back of her skirt. "I like your taste in underwear." He laughingly remarked.

Infuriated, her grabbed a hold of the collar of his school shirt. "If you don't want my fist to shut you up, keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, Shinichi."

Shinichi backed away. "Come on, I was just joking around. Besides, I do like your un--"

Ran flashed him her best death stare. "Shinichi." Her voice was menacing.

"Alright, I'll make it up to you. Here," he handed her a granola bar from his pocket. "I saw your sandwich fall. Still hungry?"

"Thanks." She sheepishly took the granola bar from his hand.

"Not such a good morning, huh?"

"Obviously. You were the first person I saw." She rolled her eyes at him.

"No need to be hurtful. Sometimes I like to think that when your day starts bad, it means that a really good day is about to come."

Ran shrugged. "I prefer having normal, less annoying days. You know, those days that just pass by as if nothing happened. But obviously, when you show up something bad or equally annoying happens."

Shinichi gave a nervous laugh. "But I do make it up to you, right?"

Ran furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Sometimes."

* * *

_Tick tock, tick tock. _

The endless drone of their teacher about graphing parabolas made Shinichi want to just take a nap on his desk. He didn't want to get caught not paying attention so he pretended to write down notes on his notebook.

He ended up doodling while looking at his teacher every now and then.

He scanned the room and saw that like him, majority of the class was either dozing off or doing something else. _Oh well, at least I can talk to Ran. _

Shinichi scribbled something down on his notebook. He didn't want to call Ran because his teacher might look at their direction so he tapped Ran's back casually. Ran turned her head to look at him and mouthed a silent, "What?" to him.

He showed her his message, "Why do we have to endure this subject? I'm bored to death right now."

Ran wrote her response on her notebook and stealthily drew it closer to Shinichi. "I think I already died a few minutes ago."

He scribbled quickly and passed his notebook to her. "I'll save you."

Shinichi then started to draw his teacher's face and drew his best devil-slash-clown-teacher face along with the goofy moustache and girly eyelashes. He showed it to Ran and to his amusement Ran started cracking up.

She was turning red from trying to stifle her laughter. The moments when you're laughing at a time you're not supposed to laugh and you're really cracking up make you even laugh harder because it's so hard not to laugh was exactly what Ran was feeling.

Their teacher quickly averted his gaze on them.

Ran pretended to fake a cough while laughing in between. _Cough, cough. Then, stifled laughter. Cough. _

Shinichi was just smiling at her and laughing inside. _God, she looks so cute when she gets busted. _He suddenly froze and dropped his smile. _What did I just say? _He bent his head and scratched the back of his neck. _God, what is wrong with my brain? Has boredom destroyed my brain? This is soooo weird. _

Ran was surprised at Shinichi's sudden pensive look. It was as if something was bothering him. But what?

She leaned closer to him, "Shinichi, is something wrong?"

He looked up and dropped his hand from behind his neck. "Err…no. Nothing. I'm fine. I just…"

Weird. He's stuttering. And he rubbed the back of his neck. Double weird. He only does that when he's either nervous or feeling something equally nerve-wracking as that.

Ran grabbed Shinichi's watched and checked the time. Fifteen god-damned minutes to go. At least she could do something to survive drowning on the jumbled algebraic thoughts in her head.

"Hey, Shin. I dare you."

Shinichi lifted his head up from its droopy position. "Dare me to what?"

Ran stroked her chin. "Hmm. It has to be embarrassing. We have fifteen minutes to do a dare we give to each other. Make it good."

Shinichi rubbed his hands together and grinned. "I dare you to look at me like a lovesick teenager."

Ran narrowed her eyes at him. _Ah, so this is how he wants to play it. Well, I'll show him! _"I dare you to drape your arm across my chair and pretend to be the lovesick teenager you are!"

"Deal."

"Ready. Go!"

Ran slowly slid her elbow across her desk and rested her chin on it. She shook her head as she was trying to prepare herself to the embarrassment she was about to face for the next fifteen minutes. Slowly, she turned her head to Shinichi's direction and gazed at him. _Hopefully I don't get blind or get a stiff neck after this. If I do, he is going to pay! _

Shinichi saw that Ran was staring at him already. He gave her a small smile and casually extended his arm toward her direction. He slid his arm on her chair and looked at her. She smiled a girly smile at him just to show him that she was still playing the game.

It wasn't hard for Ran to pretend to oogle at Shinichi. Heck, she was silently doing it a number of years she couldn't remember. That was the small boundary line she had to carefully try to avoid stepping on with her friendship with Shinichi. Hell, he was good-looking and she sometimes thanked and cursed him for that at the same time. She was trying her best not to give herself illusions of Shinichi's stepping beyond the "friendship" line and making it into something that she was hoping for so long. Yet she didn't want to ponder much on that possibility because she didn't want to add to her frustrations in their hot-and-cold relationship.

She kind of liked Shinichi close to her even now that they somehow forced this awkward situation on one another. She didn't want to think too much so she decided to go back to semi-pretending to oogle at her best friend.

Ran's back was felt warm on Shinichi's hand. He could feel the rise and fall of her breathing and he somewhat felt ease at their unlikely situation. _Relax, Shinichi, _he thought to himself, _it's just a dare. Just play along. _He started to draw little circles across her back and he felt her tense at his touch. He would glance at her every once in a while as he continued to idly draw figures on her back.

"Mister Kudo and Miss Mouri, have you both been paying attention to my class or are you both busy concentrating on each other? Miss Mouri, you are supposed to pay attention to what I'm saying and not at Mr. Kudo's face. You've been gawking at him for fifteen minutes!"

Ran blushed and straightened up herself.

"Mister Kudo, please undrape your hand from Miss Mouri's back and put them back to the territory of your desk or I might be forced to move you to another seat."

Shinichi did as he was told and rubbed the back of his head while saying a barely audible apology to their teacher.

_At least it was fun while it lasted, _Shinichi thought.

_Riiiiiing! _

"I bet you can't get your hands off her, Shinichi." Sonoko approached them as she chided them with her finger. "Come on, Ran, at least try to _hide _your affection for him. It's about time you two started dating!"

Ran blushed once more, "Sonoko! We're not… dating. We were just playing a dare game. Come on, I wouldn't really do that in real life."

"Well, Ran, it looked real." She focused her gaze on her.

Shinichi gave a nervous laugh. "Ran's right, Sonoko. We were just playing. We're just good at it that's why it seemed real." He winked at Ran.

"Yeah. Practice makes perfect, doesn't it?" Ran followed his trail of thoughts.

"I hope we see the real thing soon, you two! You can't keep us waiting for so long! I gotta go, see you two lovebirds tomorrow!"

"She can be such a pain sometimes" Ran groaned as she slipped her bag up her shoulder. "Do you have soccer training?"

Shinichi ran a hand across his dark hair. "Ugh, yeah. I do. Oh well, see you tomorrow, Ran.

Ran ruffled his hair and grinned. "Take care, Detective Nerd."

"Don't worry." He took her hand and gazed at her eyes. "I'll be a good hubby, wifey."

It seemed as if Ran's heart stopped beating for a millisecond. _Damn, he did it again. _Did what? _He made my heart do stuff I'm trying to make it not to. _

"Oy, Shinichi! Don't be late for practice!" Tomohisa called out from the back of the room.

Shinichi called out to Tomohisa, "Yeah, Tom! I'll be there." He looked at Ran again, "It's my turn to pick you up at your house tomorrow. See you!"

"Okay. I'll try to make sure my skirt doesn't fly away again, you pervert. Bye, Shin."

And with that, Shinichi walked to the soccer field to prepare for the game, _his _game, on Saturday.

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to make things unravel slowly between Ran and Shinichi. But oh well, I might get impatient and change things. Review and favorite! I'd love to hear from you guys and thanks for your awesome support. :) **


	3. We are NOT a couple, okay?

Chapter 3 – We are NOT a couple, okay?

Shinichi let his hands get cooled by the running water from his bathroom faucet. He was still in his checkered dark blue boxers and semi-fit white shirt. He splashed the cold water on his face just to wake himself up a little bit more. He looked at his face that was being reflected in the mirror. The circles bellow his eyes were still tainted with sleep. His hair was a floppy mess, but still, he looked decent. If Ran saw him looking like his fresh-from-bed-self, she'd still think he looked pretty cute.

Wait, what is Ran doing in his thoughts at this time of day? On second thought, why was he thinking about her at all? Shinichi's cheeks flushed pink. Now he remembered, he was supposed to pick up Ran from her house and walk her to school. He brushed his thoughts away and started to get ready for school.

Once he was showered, he toasted a left-over waffle and spread some butter on it. He poured some orange juice into his vintage Mickey Mouse mug. At least, it seemed vintage to him since he had it since he was a kid and he remembered the times he used as the sanctuary of his morning drinks.

His silent pondering was interrupted by the loud noises coming from somewhere. Most probably it was Professor Agasa tinkering with one of his eccentric inventions. _Hopefully he doesn't blow something up again_, Shinichi thought. A succession of rattles and frustrated exclamations from the Professor drowned the singing of the birds outside.

After finishing his breakfast, Shinichi grabbed his jacket and hung his tie around his neck loosely. He plugged the earphones of his iTouch into his ears and locked his door. His gate gave a loud creak as he pushed it forward. He shouted a "Good morning!" to Prof. Agasa's house and walked going to Ran's house.

Shinichi's steps padded rhythmically against the concrete sidewalk. He bobbed his head with the beat of the song he was listening to.

"Shinichi!"

Shinichi's head whipped around and looked for the person who had called his name.

"Hey, wait up!" Tomohisa ran to Shinichi, his messenger bag hitting a couple of innocent people on the sidewalk.

"You'd better secure that bag of yours before you murder someone." Shinichi said and gave a chuckle.

Tomohisa brushed the remark aside and said, "Hey, isn't school that way?" He pointed the opposite direction Shinichi was going.

"I know. But I'm picking Ran up first."

"Ohoho, how sweet of you. Of course, your girlfriend would need her knight in shining armor to defend her from the evil of the early morning rush of the Beika district," Tomohisa teased.

"She's not my–''

Tomohisa waved an impatient hand at him. "Enough with the denial already, Shinichi. It's so obvious you have a _thing_ for her. The harmless best friend act is getting tiring, you know."

Shinichi let out a nervous laugh. "What's so wrong with being her best friend? I mean, we're fine with being friends and all."

"Two things frustrate not only me but maybe the whole of Teitan High as well." Tomohisa said putting his two fingers up. "One, is that it's puzzling enough you are not friends for benefits or something near that."

"Don't talk about my social life—''

"I'm not talking about your social life. I'm talking about your love-slash-sex life. Among all the people in Teitan, it's you who should be getting a major percent of anything related to girls and whatever benefits you can get. Second, it's so obvious you like her and you don't do anything about it! Come on, man, she's always been there right in front of you and if you let your chance slip, you'll regret it so bad you'd wish you could have listened more attentively to me. Besides, what are you afraid of? She won't reject you, Shinichi. Her feelings for you are as obvious as yours to her. You two bicker often but sometimes; it looks like there's something that you just don't want to show to each other."

Shinichi put his hand at the back of his head. "Since when did you become a love guru, Tom? You're very insightful but …"

"She's not going to be there waiting for you forever, Shin." Tomohisa looked at his watch. "Yikes, I gotta pick some stuff up for my mom before school starts. Gotta go, Shinichi!"

He was already running and pissing a lot of people with his murderous messenger bag before Shinichi got to say good-bye.

It took time before everything Tomohisa said sank into Shinichi. He had to admit that seeing Ran caused his insides to tingle and his stomach to get pathetic butterflies, but he never knew that the whole school may have detected things about him and Ran before they did. It was shameful, coming from a high school detective to not be able to decipher his and Ran's feelings. Truthfully, he did like Ran but he might just be too scared to admit it to her.

Thankfully, he reached Ran's house and rang the doorbell. He fussed with his hair and put his hands in his pockets while he waited for the door to be answered.

"Oh, it's you. Come in, Shinichi. Ran got up a little late. She's still getting dressed." Mr. Mouri said as he ushered Shinichi in with a monotonous tone.

Shinichi heard the panicked scrambling behind Ran's door. He settled with some small talk with Mr. Mouri.

Ran's door opened and her hair was still in disarray but aside from that, she looked fine. "Let's go, Shinichi. I'll just grab breakfast at the café."

They both said their good-byes to Mr. Mouri and were heading toward the Beatle Bug Café. It was a quite near their school and a perfect hang-out.

Shinichi pulled the door open for Ran, "Ladies first."

"Funny. Since when did you become a gentleman, Shin?"

"I've always been one, you just never paid close attention."

No one was in line and the man behind the cashier greeted Ran cheerfully, "Good morning, Ran! How may I help you?"

"It's nice to see you Mr. Fugiwara," Ran smiled and looked at the menu, "I'd like a bagel with egg and bacon, please."

"Anything else?"

Ran looked at Shinichi. "You want anything, Shin?"

"Just a cup of hot chocolate." He replied.

"Why, Ran. You have never introduced me to your boyfriend." He stretched out his hand to give a handshake, "I'm Mr. Fugiwara."

Shinichi and Ran's cheeks both turned pink.

"Mr. Fugiwara, we're not…going out…" Ran said, looking flustered.

"Tut, tut, tut. It's okay, my dear. I can keep a secret." He winked at them mischievously.

"This is Kudo Shinichi, he's a good friend." Ran emphasized the word friend.

"I guess I got deceived. You two looked like a cute teenage couple, alright." He set their order on the tray. "Here you go."

Ran paid and got the tray. "Geez, what a way to start the day."

Shinichi pulled a chair for Ran. "Old people could be quite clueless sometimes. But, hey, their wisdom has got to be worth something."

Ran sat down and bit on her bagel. "Yeah. Public humiliation early in the morning. Gosh, I'm so hungry."

She took a big bite of her bagel and some ketchup smeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Hey, you've got something on your face." Shinichi motioned to the place where the ketchup was.

Ran tried to lick it with her tongue but she couldn't reach it.

Shinichi laughed as he continued to proceed with her futile attempts to remove the smear.

"Too bad we didn't get table napkins."

Ran was about to reach for the stain with her finger when Shinichi's thumb brushed the ketchup of her face. His fingers felt warm and smooth and Ran's stomach couldn't help but leap when he stroked his thumb against her skin. His eyes were fixed on the ketchup stain. Once he was done, he looked at the blob of ketchup on his thumb. "Oh well, here goes nothing." And with that, he sucked the ketchup of his thumb.

"That's so gross, Shinichi." Ran pulled up her face into a disgusted expression.

He waved his thumb in front of her face. "Don't worry, it really is. But what was I supposed to do? Wipe it off my pants? Licking it off was the most sensible thing I could do."

He sipped his cup of hot chocolate. "So, are you watching our game tomorrow night?"

"Definitely. I'll be screaming at the Osaka team to beat your butt out."

"Psh. I bet you only want to see Osaka's star player, Ashikaga Kyo."

Ran turned oogly-eyed and put her hands together and gushed, "Kyo is totally the Adonis of soccer. He's sooooo muscular and his smile is soooooo—''

"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. Kyo the soccer heart throb. All the girls love him. Blah, blah, blah."

Ran's eyebrows shot up at Shinichi, "I think someone is jealous."

"Why should I? I have my own horde of fan girls who would easily do whatever I tell them to. And, hey, I have one thing that he doesn't." He said with a smirk.

Ran tilted her head to show her interest. "And what would that be?"

"You."

Ran looked at Shinichi. His face was serious. Heck, if he meant it, her insides would be all jelloid by now. "Ha ha. Very funny, Shin." She bit the last piece of her bagel and said, "Mind if I take a sip from your hot chocolate? The bagel kinda made me thirsty." She touched her throat to prove her it.

"Here," he handed her his cup. His head was slightly bent and his deep blue eyes were captivating her.

The corner of her mouth perked up. "Thanks," she took a few gulps of the sweet liquid.

"So, are we all set for school?" Shinichi grabbed his school jacket from the back of his chair.

"Yup. Thanks for keeping me company."

They headed out and entered Beika High School a few minutes before the bell rang.

* * *

Almost everyone was seated when Shinichi and Ran entered their noisy classroom. Suddenly a hush enveloped the room in silence and everyone stared at them.

A few minutes before, Ran slipped on a stray puddle of water and Shinichi caught her by the waist. The sudden closeness of Shinichi strained Ran's lungs and breathing seemed to be labored.

"Are you alright?" Shinichi asked her, his hands still on her waist.

Ran fixed the creases on her skirt. She nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks."

Shinichi kept his hands placed lightly at the small of Ran's back as they headed towards their classroom just in case anything else happened.

Now, their classmates were all grinning at each other and whooping at them.

"Why are you two late? Some boyfriend-girlfriend thing came up?" Tomohisa shouted from across the room.

Shinichi quickly removed his hand from its resting place on Ran's back and shoved it into his pockets. Ran cheeks flushed and she headed toward Sonoko.

"Hey, Ran, is there something you're not telling me about?" She her eyes turned into slits as she put her hands on her waist.

Ran shook her head violently. "No, no."

"You two are always denying—"

"Nothing is going on between us!" Ran practically shouted at Sonoko. Annoyed that as much as she wanted it to be true, it wasn't. There was no Ran-and-Shinichi. Just, Ran and Shinichi, best friends with feelings for her other. _Yuck. It's bad already that she's falling for Shinichi but it was even worse that she would lie in bed at night and think if he was feeling the same way she was feeling for him. God, teenage life sucks. Hormones make everything extra complicated. _It was extra annoying that everyone kept prying into their relationship and seemed to know more than the two of them can figure out.

All the heads in the room looked at Sonoko because of her angry outburst. Even Shinichi who was talking animatedly with Tomohisa stopped and looked at her. _Did she really feel that bad about this whole thing? _He Ran his hands through his hair. _Since when did their relationship get this complicated? _

Tomohisa noticed the sudden change in Shinichi's mood. "Hey, man, you alright?"

Shinichi nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm fine. I guess it's just the nerves for tomorrow's game." Phew, good thing he had an excuse instead of saying that he was thinking about Ran… _again. _

"Come on. Are you serious? The Great Kudo Shinichi _nervous! _For just a mere soccer game? Now, _that's _funny."

Shinichi lightly punched his arm. Their teacher walked into the room and asked to the class to settle down. He eased himself onto his desk beside Ran. It felt awkward, knowing that the whole world knew something about them that they themselves couldn't figure out. Still, Shinichi tried not to think Ran was beside him and tried to devise his plan on the whole we're-not-yet-Shinichi-and-Ran fiasco.

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Sorry for the long hiatus. I needed to finish school first before I continued with this. So, now, school is over and I'm back! **

**Oh, BTW, when I was doing the first chapter, I forgot the name of Ran and Shinichi's school so I just named it Beika High but a few days ago, I was watching DC and I saw that it was Teitan High. I decided to abide by that name so it will be truer to DC. **

**Lastly, I wanna boycott YouTube 'cause they're taking down almost all of the DC episodes. Seriously, I checked and there are no more decent episodes left unless of course, you speak Italian or Hungarian since the ones left have non-English subtitles. :( The movies are still there so watch them while they last. **

**Please review and comment! I want to hear from you. :) **

**xoxo, **

**ieatwunderbars **


	4. Kick love in the ass

Chapter 4 – Kick love in the ass

Shinichi was sitting on his living room couch and watching the early morning news hoping to see if he some criminal case would interest him. He was lying low on his detective work lately since he had bigger and more challenging things on his mind. _Ran. _She popped into his head….again. It had been going on since, heck, he didn't remember. Maybe from the time he got a good peek at the unexpected underwear flash. Or the time she leaned in and was about to kiss him. She was just playing around, but still. Or those times when they were fighting with each other oblivious to the fact that they could have been more than just friends.

He let out a low whistle. Maybe he needed to let things cool off between them; as if there was anything that needed to be cooled off. He needed something that could ignite those hushed and shunned feelings.

Something had been racking his brain these past few days. Every time he thought about Ran, his stomach leaped inside of him and his heart started to beat a few beats too fast. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins. His existence seemed to emerge from the sleeping corners of his being. What did they call it again? Oh yes, love. They called it _love. It's actually quite stupid. Stupid love, _he said to himself.

He shook his head and tried to silence his thoughts but every time he tried to not think about it, he ended up thinking about it even more. If only saying "I love you" to Ran was as easy as eating his morning waffles, life would be easier.

His thoughts were suddenly disrupted by the sudden playing off, "I'm a Barbie Girl." Curious, Shinichi got up and searched for the place where the annoyingly girly music was coming from.

_Come on, Barbie, let's go party. _

He stopped in front of the counter top in the kitchen and saw his phone. _Shit. _Ran must have replaced his ringing tone earlier that week when she would normally tinker with his phone. _You'll pay for this, Mouri. _His thoughts screamed at Ran which meant he was quite ticked off because he called Ran by her last name.

"Hel—" Shinichi answered the phone but was cut off by a perky female voice.

"Shinichiiii! Hi, baby boy. How's life going without your mummy?"

_Sheesh. _She always managed to call him at the most unexpected times of the day. She would always talk to him as if he was still trotting around in his baby jumpers and a thick diaper was plastered on his butt.

"Hey, mom."

"After all these months, all you say to your dear darling mother is, 'Hey, mom'? I didn't raise my son to forget his mummy every time she's not in the house."

_Psh. She's going all drama queen mode again. That's what I get for having a TV actress for a mother. _"No, mom. I _miss_ you sooo, soooo much. I still cry in bed at night every time I miss you." He tried to play around with his mother and emphasize his point.

He heard some sniffling from the other end of the line. "Aww." Sniff. "My baby Shinichi has grown up already."

_Huh? _

"I'm already in high school, mom. I've kinda taken a break from my detective stuff for a while. How's dad?"

His mom chuckled. "He's still the same Yusaku, still writing one of his countless mystery novels. He told me to send you his most recent one. I think it's the one on the New York Time's Best Selling list or something."

"Oh, thanks, Mom. Congratulate dad on his success for me."

"Speaking of success," his mom paused, "sorry we can't watch your game tonight, Shinichi baby. Your dad's still too busy to leave his work."

"It's fine mom. I'll ask Ran to take pictures for you or something."

His mom's voice became playful. "I bet she will. So, when are you gonna ask her out, Shinichi?"

_Damn. Even his mom is clued in the Shinichi-and-Ran complication. _

"I don't know yet, mom." He ran his hands through his hair. He felt as if he was getting closer and closer to Ran with each day he spent trying to figure things out. He tried to recall how the lead guy in those cheesy romance movies did to tell a girl how he feels… and if the girl slams the door on his face and tells him to fuck off. _Ouch. _

"I know you'll figure something out." She sounded cheery. Of course she would, she doesn't know how fucked up he was feeling right now.

He gripped the phone tighter hoping that it would make things feel right and everything would be fine again. "I hope so, mom. I hope so." He said in barely in whisper. His fears were looking at him in the face as if saying, "There's nothing you can do now, Shinichi. She's gone."

"Shinichi, baby," He heard his dad's voice calling his mom, "I gotta go. I'm coming with you dad to a book signing. Love you, Shin. Take care of yourself, okay, baby?"

Feeling like a lost child, he replied, "Yes mom, I will. Love you."

He heard nothing but the stillness of the morning.

* * *

Ran's head was still buried under her pillow. The morning sun was shining in through her closed curtains. Her pink curtains made the sunlight blaze into the room in a pink glow. Sighing, she closed her eyes and shifted her blanket up to her chin.

"Yeah, yeah. _There. _Oh, God!"

Her eyes popped back open when the noise erupted from the next door apartment. _Gross. An early morning love fest. _She could hear the banging of the bed post to the wall directly behind her bed.

"Yes, oh, yes." The girl next door gasped. "Oooh." She wailed.

Ran stuck the pillow between her ears. This was not the morning wake up call she wanted to hear.

"Babe, oh, babe." The guy pleasuring her panted.

She tugged the blanket closer to her body. Suddenly, she felt very naked and exposed even though she had her tank top and boxer shorts on. Hey, boxers were good bed clothes. Too bad, they wouldn't be peeled off by someone… and of course, boxers weren't really the sexiest thing you can offer.

She wondered what Shinichi's touch would be like, how he would give her all she needed. Her thoughts drifter more and she mused where Shinichi would touch her and where he won't--- as if that was possible.

She shuddered, alarmed at the sudden sensuality of her thoughts. She never knew her desire for Shinichi would reach this far. But who wouldn't have their thoughts stray away after watching Shinichi flex his taut muscles on the soccer field and be by his side for the past many years.

"Fuck meeeeeee!" The girl practically screamed.

Annoyed, Ran banged the wall to silence them. But instead of shushing up, they rocked and banged even more.

She needed something to do and get out of the room. Thankfully, she could always cook some breakfast for her dad. She hopped out of bed and faced the mirror to tie her hair in a messy bun just to complete the I-woke-up-to-a-really-bad-day look. She sighed as she saw how haggard she looked. _Oh well, _she gave herself a small smile, _this is the best I can do for now. _

She managed to conjure a delicious French toast breakfast for her dad and added a sunny side-up egg just to prolong her stay in the kitchen. She robotically set the table and plopped herself onto the sofa.

She pulled out her phone and checked to see if Sonoko had texted her last night. _No new messages. _Pfft. Now she had nothing to do. Sonoko would still probably wake up at noon and Shinichi… probably be awake by this time already. She tried to flush out her thoughts earlier and texted Shinichi.

She waited for his reply for about ten minutes. _No new messages. _

Her phone started ringing. She laughed to herself once she remembered that she changed Shinichi's manly ringing tone to "I'm a Barbie Girl." _Sorry, Shinichi. I just had to do it. _

"Ran?" Shinichi's voice filled her ear.

"Shinichi?"

"Sorry for the late reply. I was in the shower." He sheepishly told her. "What's wrong?"

Ran tried to stop her ears from getting hot and turning red. "Er, nothing. I just needed someone to talk to. The couple next door woke me up very rudely."

"Were they fighting or something?" _Damn. Shinichi could be so clueless at times. Some detective. _

"Or something." Ran didn't want to say it especially to Shinichi. It was just too awkward.

"Huh? There are many 'or somethings' in the world."

Ran let out a frustrated groan. "God, Shinichi. Try to think a little bit more. Just—just think about what couples do."

Shinichi let out a faint, "Oh."

Ran sensed the potential awkwardness. "So, are your parents flying in to watch you play later?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you about. Since they're not coming, could you be there at the game for me?"

Ran's stomach gave a whirl. "S-sure. I'd love to."

"Say, if we win, promise me you'll take me out to dinner. I bet I'd be so hungry by then." He chuckled to himself. _Why does he have to sound so cute? _

Ran had to fight the urge to scream "Yes!" to Shinichi. "Shouldn't you be the one to be treating me? You're the guy no matter whether you win or lose."

"Please, Ran?" Shinichi did his best baby voice.

"Only if you ask nicely."

"Fine. If we win, I'll give you whatever you ask of me but you would have to buy me dinner. I'll be acting very gentlemanly the whole time just to make it extra special."

_I bet it would. _"Hmm… sounds fair enough. You got yourself a deal, Kudo." She grinned knowing that he won't be able to see how happy she was.

"Meet me at the stadium at 5 o'clock."

"Don't worry, I will. I'll be the pretty girl there."

"Yup, I know. I've been seeing that pretty girl for many years now."

Ran's cheeks flamed red. "Whatever, Shinichi." She just had to stop herself from gushing out all her feelings at that moment.

Just then, her dad slipped into the living room and was looking at her curiously. Seeing her dad, she said a hasty good-bye and ended the call.

Mouri Kogoro raised his eyebrows at her daughter and looked at her suspiciously. He sipped his coffee from the mug he held but he eyes were still glued on her tomato red face.

"Did you put too much make up on your face? Your cheeks look like they've been slapped." He nonchalantly told her.

She put her hands to her cheeks to hide her physical response to what Shinichi said. Hell, he thought she was pretty – but not beautiful – so that means she could at least carry the flaming blush he caused on her cheeks.

"Err, no. I just got out of bed." He was still looking at her suspiciously. Before he could inquire about the details of her monster blush, she told him, "I made breakfast, extra heavy. I know you have a case to work on today." She forced a smile to make it look more convincing.

Kogoro just grunted a "thanks" and started to murder the warm pieces of French toast. Ran usually ate after her dad was finished but today, she needed to do something different. She was in desperate need of a way to stop herself from falling head over heads for Kudo Shinichi.

* * *

The Beika Stadium was slowly being filled in by flocks of fans to come and see the Osaka team go against their very own Teitan High. Plus, judging by the skimpiness of the outfits of the high school girls who came to watch, they were out to look for their choice of eye candy. Who wouldn't? They had so many choices and to make things extra special, Ashikaga Kyo would be sharing the same field as the Great High School Detective Kudo Shinichi. Two heart throbs in one field, could this get any better?

The lights were already blaring into the perfectly kept field. The chalky boundary lines of the field were still fresh and the field was still peaceful. Eventually, it would receive all the blows and strength of the players who were in hot pursuit of the coveted win.

Shinichi surveyed the crowd while he was making his way toward their lockers. He was absently keeping his eyes on his path despite the many screams the girls from the bleachers were shouting at him. "You're so hot, Shinichiiiii!" or "I'm your number one fan, Shinichi!"

"Ooof!"

He didn't notice that he had bumped into someone.

The person turned around and said, "Oy, Shinichi. Watch where you're going." Ran put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

He blinked at few times. She was wearing a short blue halter summer dress with a few yellow prints and her feet were in black gladiators. She looked like a ray of sunshine amidst the crowd who sported their banners and wore the colors of the school they rooted for.

"It's nice to see you, too, Ran." Shinichi said brushing away Ran's irritated greeting.

"So, where do you want me to sit and take pictures for you mom?"

"I saved a seat for you in the VIP row. Since my parents couldn't get the good seats, I decided that you are equally deserving. Don't you think?" He lightly brushed the sides of her ribs and smiled at her.

She swatted his hand off but instead of letting go, Shinichi held her by the tip of her right index finger. He swayed her hand back and forth, still holding on. Ran couldn't help but smile and let her hand be maneuvered by Shinichi.

Just then, Ran let out a squeal and let go off Shinichi. "It's Kyo! It's Kyo! Ohmygod. How do I look?" She fussed with her hair and straightened out her dress.

Shinichi gave her a once-over and declared, "Beautiful as always."

Ran's knees would have turned into jelly but right now, they were running to the direction of Ashikaga Kyo who was surrounded by a group of squealing fans. The fans surrounding him turned to Ran's direction and saw that Shinichi was alone. Someone shouted, "Look! There's Kudo Shinichi! Aaahhh!" Almost half of the girls surrounding Kyo flocked to the direction of Shinichi.

Ran only had a few girls left with her and fished a pen from her purse and grabbed a small piece of paper.

"You are soooo amazing, Kyo. If Shinichi were not my best friend I would so swear you might be my number one favorite high school soccer player." Ran gushed as she held the paper and pen for Kyo to sign his autograph.

His ears perked up and he looked at her more closely. "You're best friends with Kudo? Isn't it thrilling to fraternize with the enemy?" His smile dazzled like they were fresh from the dentists office. He stood looking down at her since he was a couple of inches taller than her. He had a curly mop of jet black hair which stood out from his tanned skin.

"I wouldn't consider you an enemy since the enemies I meet consist mostly of deranged criminals, kidnappers, and murderers. So, you're on the good side."

Kyo raised his eyebrows in interest and they continued to talk as Shinichi watched them from a distance.

* * *

The crowd was screaming wild. Osaka had the ball and it was passed on to Kyo. Despite being the fan girl of Kyo that she is, Ran's pro-Shinichi body systems were kicking in. She really did want their school to win. "God, Shinichi! What are you doing just standing there?" She angrily shouted, hoping Shinichi would hear her and listen.

It seemed to take a while before Shinichi got a hold on the ball, he gracefully maneuvered it back to the direction of their goal and successfully evaded the stealing attempts from the opposing team. Just as he was about to pass the ball to his team mate, a player from the other team stole the ball and passed it to the midfield. Kyo got possession over the ball. Shinichi, fulfilling his position as forward, dashed to get the ball back. Before he could attempt a steal, Kyo had kicked the ball to the top post of the goal and it zoomed past the hands of the goal keeper. "Goal!" The announcers proclaimed. The supporters of the Osaka team cheered on for Kyo.

Shinichi rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He wanted to win this competition really bad. He made his way to his team mates to review their game plan.

The ball was set once again. A few minutes of play passed by, Shinichi once again had his chance of possession of the ball. His jersey clung to his skin because of the sweat from playing for the past thirty minutes. _An hour more to go, _he said to himself, trying to motivate himself to push his limits and nab the win.

Shinichi had the ball, he lengthened his strides to get the ball nearer to their goal as possible. Suddenly, Kyo appeared from his rear a tackled the ball out of his reach. The referee blew his whistle and declared a penalty. The other team called for a time out so Shinichi, along with his team mates, made their way towards their coach.

Their coach elaborated on their strategy while they drank their water and energy drinks. He stopped in his lecture when Ran made her way through the other players and stood in front of Shinichi.

"Hey, Ran. How am I doing?"

"Good," She said without hesitation. "But you can do _so_ much better." Before he could reply, Ran brushed back his hair from his sticky forehead.

"Didn't you do this already? It seems to me that you have a penchant for fixing my hair." He teased her.

"I wouldn't do it again if your hair just doesn't get in the way." She pulled him closer and held his shoulders. "You better kick some Osaka butt, Shin."

He looked at her and held her hands on his shoulders. "Even if it means kicking the butt of your beloved Kyo?" His deep blue eyes looked more mesmerizing as they were curtained by his eyelashes.

"He's not my Kyo so kick his butt for me, will you?"

He grinned and did a mock bow to her. "My pleasure."

Once he was back to facing Ran, Ran put her hand on his shoulders and pinched his nose playfully. "Now, do well, Shin. For me?" She looked at him expectantly. "Don't forget we're going to dinner after."

His team mates erupted into applause and the two just let their cajoling pass. Now, it was time to kick some Osaka ass.

* * *

It was the final five minutes of the game. The fight was locked on a 1-1 tie. Shinichi knew he had to shoot this one. He just had to especially since he felt strong again after his time with Ran. He should have told himself to dedicate his game to her from the start. Who would have known that Kudo Shinichi's secret weapon would be Mouri Ran? It was just too good to be true.

Three minutes.

A player from the other team attempted to steal the ball away. He was grabbing Shinichi's jersey and elbowed Shinichi in the stomach in the process. _Damn, he's playing dirty. _He needed an some kind of immaculate intercession or better yet, he needed an inspiration. He looked at the people who were sitting on the VIP seats. _Where could she be? _He continued to move the ball closer to the goal. He passed the ball to his team mate once he saw an opponent who was trying to usurp the possession of the ball. Finally, he saw Ran standing on her seat, her hands were cupped on the corners of her mouth and she was shouting Shinichi's name. "Go, Shinichi! Kick their Osaka butts to the ground!" He read the words coming out of her mouth. She smiled when she saw the he was looking at her. She waved at him. He nodded and gave a thumbs-up sign. Her eyes were sparkling with joy and excitement; she blew him a kiss in the air and winked at him. Stunned, Shinichi "caught" the kiss and put his hand on his heart.

He felt a hand grab the back of his jersey. A defender from the opposing team was standing his guard on him. He looked back at Ran; his inspiration had finally come. He pushed away from the defender and went to a good spot near the goal.

He heard the "thwack" of a ball being kicked to the goal. He saw Tomohisa watching his shot in anticipation. Shinichi quickly calculated the chances of the success of the kick in earning the goal. He realized that the ball would fall directly into the hands of the goal keeper and they would have to settle to a risky kick-off. _I'm not gonna let that happen. It's too close to ensure us a win. _The most practical thing he could do right now was head-butt the goal directly into the goal.

He positioned himself to be close contact with the ball. He bended his legs in a ready position and "thwack"! The ball zoomed just inches past the shoulders of the goalkeeper.

"Goaaaaaal! Teitan High has won the game!" The announcer exclaimed.

Within a few seconds, his team mates were surrounding Shinichi and the people in the stands filled the soccer field to congratulate their team. Some girls came to flirt with the soccer players. They sashayed and flipped their hair hoping they could land a player from Teitan High's winning soccer team.

Shinichi was still entertaining a group of fans when he saw Ran pushing her way through the crowd. "Shinichi!" Her voice echoed jubilation. A few people stepped aside to give her way but she didn't care. All she needed was to go and congratulate her Shinichi.

"Shini—Ooof!" She tripped on one of the stray styrofoam Teitan High paraphernalia. She landed on Shinichi's chest. Shinichi knew he had caught her in time. His eyes turned toward the area where he was supporting her weight. His two hands where holding the lower part of her butt. Her dress seemed shorter as he held her. He blushed as he pictured how people were seeing him and Ran right now. Ran looked up from his chest and smiled at him sheepishly. She didn't mind where Shinichi's hands were on right now, all she wanted to do was…

She wrapped her arms tightly around Shinichi and gave him a big hug. She pulled away from him but her arms were still in place. Without knowing it, her lips were on Shinichi's cheek and her arms wrapped themselves tighter around his neck. Shinichi shifted his hands to the small of her back and steadied her.

Shinichi's ears muted out the "whooping" and cheering of the people around them. As Ran pulled away from her cheek kiss, Shinichi gently put his hand on her chin and drew her mouth closer to his. Ran's heart was beating like crazy but despite her fears of what might happen after they kiss, she closed her eyes and felt Shinichi's mouth claim hers.

**A/N: The link for Ran's outfit is posted on my profile. You can check it out there. ;)**

**I'm prepping up for the steamier stuff later but you'll just have to settle with hearing other people's escapades for now. **

**How do you like this chapter? Any requests, suggestions, comments? **

**Above anything else, follow the number one rule! Review and comment! I want to hear from you. ;) **


	5. Tiedyed Shirts are HOT

Chapter 5 – Hoodies and Tie-Dyed Shirts are HOT

Shinichi and Ran finally slipped away from the madness of the Teitan High victory hysteria. Shinichi had showered in the locker room and was wearing a plain white hoodie over his crisp white shirt. He wore black pants and slippers which were sent by his mom. "Shinichi baby, I'm sending you a gift from a fan of your dad from Italy. It didn't fit your dad so I guess it might be your size," his mom told him on the phone a few months earlier.

Shinichi looked at Ran from the corner of his eye. She had her arms wrapped around her body and she was shivering. "Are you cold Ran?" Shinichi asked her with concern.

"I-I forgot my jacket at home. It didn't really seem c-cold earlier."

Shinichi started to peeled off his hoodie. His shirt rose as he was pulling it off and his hard stomach peeked at Ran. Ran giggled and held his shirt down as Shinichi struggled to get the hoodie off.

"Here you go," He handed the rumpled hoodie to Ran. "This will keep you warm. I'll miss the view of your bare back, though." He frowned but the corners of his eyes were perked up to show that he was hiding his smile.

"Th-thanks." She slipped the hoodie on with ease. "You'll just have to wait another time to see it again, you detective pervert."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, Shinichi," Ran called, "do you think this will be awkward?"

"What do you mean?"

"How will things work out after our… you know…"

"Kiss?" Shinichi's mischievous eyes trailed the corners of her mouth. He licked his lips playfully. "It won't be awkward if we don't let it be awkward. So, I guess we have a few more kisses ahead?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at her.

Ran laughed and lightly punched his arm. "I only kissed you as a congratulatory act. Judging from your response, I can guess that you liked it, didn't you, Shinichi?"

Shinichi furrowed his eyebrows together as if in thought. "Maybe a little."

Ran shook her head. "Whatever. The people around us seemed to enjoy it, though."

"Some of my fan girls would probably be standing in front of your house with their pitchforks and knives ready to get their revenge." He chuckled.

"Well, I guess you are in debt to me and should protect me from them. Won't you?"

"I guess I could share your room with you just in case they try to sneak in your house. I bet your bed would fit the two of us just right."

"While you are fantasizing about your dirty thoughts, why don't we get straight to business and eat dinner?"

"Perfect."

__________

They walked in the Italia Pizzaria and got a table for two. The restaurant had burgundy red walls and shiny wood flooring. The walls were decorated with vintage Italian decors like a poster of Elvis Presley in Italian. The tables and chairs were also made out of wood. The place was dimly lit and a couple of tea lights were floating from the bowl of water and roses at the center of the table. A starter bread basket was already on the table and their menus were propped up ready for their use.

"My parents and I used to come here when I was a kid." Shinichi told Ran with a smile. "We'd come here during the Sunday lunch hour rush but dad always managed to get us seats once he charmed the waitress and introduced himself. All mom did was just dazzle the people and after a few minutes, we would be on our seats, ready to be served."

Ran folded her hands under her chin. "I wonder if their son can do that, too."

"Hey, we're here now so my charm and good looks got us here, right?"

"I agree but their son can be such a pig-head sometimes."

"Their son is friends with this girl who can equally be a pain in the ass but she wears nice underwear and her bare back is just too good to be true."

Ran pulled down her dress and shifted her weight on her chair. "I bet I look funny in front of you right now wearing a hoodie over my dress in such an elegant restaurant."

Shinichi leaned closer to her from across the table. He twirled the string of the hoodie absent-mindedly through his fingers. "No, you look beautiful." His gaze seemed to drink in every corner of her face. "As always."

"Really?" Ran folded her hands across her chest. "I thought I was _pretty_ as always?" She hid the fact that she was just too happy that Shinichi finally called her beautiful. Come on, let's face it. Every girl dreams to be called beautiful by their special someone. Right now, her special someone was sitting in front of her and she was enjoying every minute of it.

"You were always both but you became more beautiful once you started to like kissing me at my soccer games."

Ran gave a loud _phfft. _"That was only today. Maybe you were always dreaming about the day I would kiss you. Hmm, Shinichi?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Shinichi tapped his chin with his index finger. "Maybe. I just couldn't remember when I started."

Ran's stomach tingled and she had to control her breathing which seemed to shallow.

"Here are your orders. Can I get you anything else?" The waitress deposited their plates on the table.

"No, thank you. We're fine for now." Shinichi gave her a polite smile.

Shinichi sliced through his buffalo wings. "So, how's your dad doing lately?"

"He's still mad at you for taking away most of his clients."

Shinichi gave a nervous laugh. "It's not my fault that they come to me. I guess he's peeved since most of the pretty women come to me."

"You and your big head. You're both like that." Ran sighed. "Men." And shook her head.

Ran continued to make her way through her shrimp marinara pasta. "Ran, would you consider this a date?" Shinichi asked after swallowing a big chunk of food.

She stopped chewing her pasta and dropped her fork. "How would you define a date?"

Shinichi shrugged. "Well, if you take it from a general point of view. A date would consist of me and you. We're both in a nice restaurant. We're enjoying each others' company. We don't get awkward even if we had our first kiss with each other. Am I right?"

"Seriously, that was your first time?"

"To kiss a girl? Yeah. What did you think?"

Ran covered her mouth and chuckled a little. "I didn't expect the Great Detective heart throb would be a lip virgin after all these years."

Shinichi gave a small shrug. "I was waiting for someone really special."

Ran could feel her cheeks flare into another embarrassing blush. She tried to hide it with her hair but to no avail.

"You look really cute when I make you blush." Shinichi tucked her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheeks with his thumb. "You're too cute."

Ran put her hand on top of his on her cheek.

"Hey, Shinichi."

"Hmm?"

"If you were a lip virgin until a few hours ago, that means you're still…"

"A virgin?" His eyebrows shot up in interest. "Why? Do you have any plans in mind?"

Ran responded by thwacking the top of his head. "Ow!" Shinichi cried.

"You really are a pain, you detective pervert!"

They laughed and didn't realize that more than two hours had already passed.

________

Ran got home at almost midnight. She and Shinichi hung out at the restaurant until they had to usher them out so that they could close for the night. Instead of going home, they talked and talked on the bench in front of the park.

She lay on her bed and stretched her arms on top of her head. She was replaying the events that happened earlier. She put the tips on her fingers on top of her lips and remembered what it was like to have them pressed to Shinichi's. _It was more exhilarating than anything I have ever experienced. _

Her room was quiet. _It looks like my neighbors finally got tired and shut up, _Ran said to herself. She tried to close her eyes but her chest was moving up and down and she could feel her adrenaline or whatever it was coursing through her. Good God, she was in love and she had no intention of stopping it any more.

_____

Ran woke up when she heard her dad talking to someone in the living room. She groaned and shifted her position on her bed so that her back was now facing the door. She was wearing an oversized tie-dyed shirt which she thought was too ghastly to wear outside her bedroom. The red and blue circles on her shirt collided in disarray. The circular patterns were situated on the side of the shirt instead of the middle and it looked like one of those shirts which you would gladly throw into the dumpster and live peacefully with its absence. Since the shirt reached the middle of her thighs, she didn't bother to wear shorts underneath to cover her underwear. _As if anyone will actually see me in this besides my dad who doesn't really care, _Ran gave herself some assurance.

There was a small tap on the door. Ran groaned. "Dad, there's still some leftover ramen inside the fridge. You can heat it up by yourself, you know." She expected a grunt from her dad or something close to his crabby morning personality but instead she heard the door open and a familiar voice greeted her. "Good morning, Sunshine! I dropped by to ask you if you wanted to grab a bite."

Ran quickly covered her bra-less chest with her extra pillow. Her blanket had slid off the half of her leg and exposed a fraction of her bare thighs. "Shinichi, you could have told me you were coming so that I could at least have dressed more appropriately." She clung on to the pillow more tightly against her chest.

Shinichi sat on the edge of the bed and surveyed Ran's just-woke-up look. Her hair was sticking out in different places and her eyes were still puffy. "There's nothing else I like better than seeing you in the most unexpected occasions." His eyes briefly strayed to the exposed skin near his hand which he rested on the bed. All he had to do was lift his hand and stroke it…

Ran checked herself if she had disgusting morning breath. _Bearable, but still. _She got up from the bed, unaware that her shirt moved up a few inches an exposed her neon yellow boy shorts. Shinichi wanted to tell Ran to put some shorts on but he was just too caught up in the sight of her semi-exposed body.

"Hold on for a while, Shin." She went inside the bathroom that connected from her room and fished for a clean bra in her dirty clothes hamper. She then ran the tap and quickly brushed her teeth and used her comb to make her look more presentable.

"Okay. You can now talk more coherently with me now that I look a little less ghastly." She crawled her way to the corner of her bed and obliviously flashed her underwear again. She sat in an Indian-like fashion with her legs crossed together and put a pillow on her lap.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Shinichi inquired, taking his shoes off and putting his feet up on the bed. He wore cream colored cargo shorts and a plain white shirt that fit his upper body in the right places.

Ran blew her bangs lazily. "Honestly? Not much. The sleeplessness can be totally seen on my face." She grimaced and stretched her cheeks. "How about you? I wouldn't think things would be complicated for you."

"Honestly? I didn't sleep a wink. There's just too many things going on in my mind."

Ran looked at him with interest. "Like?"

"For one, you. There's just so much I want to say… and do but I just couldn't put them all in words and show them to you."

Ran fidgeted with her hands nervously. "What do you mean?"

He slowly inched his body closer to hers. His hand gently stroked the outline of her chin. He leaned in slowly with his lips ready to press themselves against hers when Ran gently put her hand on his cheek to distance their faces from each other. She looked at him, her eyes reflected the haziness of her thoughts. "Shinichi," she whispered. "This changes everything between the two of us."

Shinichi sighed as he bent his head. "Ran," he looked at her with great intensity in his deep blue eyes. "I would rather change everything between us and risk my heart for you rather than just sit here and be haunted by the fact that there could never be anything that will ever go on between us." His eyes penetrated his soul, showing his unspoken emotions.

"Then I would change everything just to be with you." She closed her eyes and anticipated Shinichi's kiss.

Just as their lips were about to touch each other, there was a sudden knock on the door. Shinichi and Ran quickly pulled away from each other and Ran lay on her pillow as Shinichi's hand was pressed on her forehead.

Mouri Kogoro's head peeped into the room. "Ran, make sure you drop off the bills on your way out, okay?"

Shinichi glanced at his watch and pretended to check Ran's temperature on her neck. "It seems to me that you don't have any fever, Ran. So you're good to go."

"My head was aching really badly earlier." She rubbed her temples and looked at her dad. "Sure, Dad. We'll pass drop them off after we eat. Bye, Dad." She ended her conversation with her dad and gave him the go signal to go out.

She waited for her dad to shut the door. "Whew. That was close." She stretched her arms above her head, making her shirt cling to her breasts and her shirt hiked up once again.

She got up from the bed and made her way to her closet. She opened the doors and took a step back to look for an outfit to wear. She chose her white tank top that had three black stars on each shoulder, a mustard yellow skirt, and her black gladiators. She quickly showered and changed inside her bathroom. When she opened the door, she found Shinichi lying on the bed and he was sleepily looking at her. "I like what you are wearing today, Ran." He gave her a smile and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"I'm not even done yet." She wore a cute necklace and slipped on a vintage ring on her finger. She grabbed her handbag and poked Shinichi on the chest. "I'm ready to go now, Shin."

He got up and put his shoes back on. "Shall we?" He offered his arm to her and she slipped hers around it. "So, where do you want to go?"

She shrugged. "Anywhere that serves good breakfast. I'm starving."

_____

Shinichi took his time to drink in the fact that Ran was semi his already and that she looked extra hot in her short-enough-to-ogle-at-her-legs skirt. They ate breakfast at a nearby ramen house and were on their way to drop off their bills at the post office.

"Thank you very much. It's nice to see you, too."

Ran was already finishing up her errand. The girl behind the counter was trying her best to hit on Shinichi but he just brushed off her flattery. She walked to the place where he was standing and he put his arms on her shoulders. "Ready to go, Ran?" She gave him a nod and said, "Totally ready. I told Sonoko I'll drop by her place and chat with her for a while, is it okay with you?"

"Sure. Just lead the way."

___

They found themselves standing in front of Suzuki Sonoko's massive house. Her house was one of those old-rich houses where you can see the grandeur of the structure that was tested through time. Their butler ushered them in and told them that Sonoko would be with them in a few minutes.

Ran and Shinichi sat quietly on the love seat in the wood-paneled living room. Shinichi was toying with a strand of Ran's hair and Ran playfully swatted his hand off. "My, you two look extremely happy today." Sonoko's voice greeted them from behind.

"Hey, Sonoko." Shinichi greeted her. "Ran and I were just admiring your too-big-to-be-true house. How come you never invite us over here?"

"I invite Ran but I don't invite the both of you together. You two might get too cozy in one of the many rooms here." She waved her hand to the direction of the stairs which led to a hallway lined six rooms or so. "Plus, I wouldn't want to barge in on you two."

"Come on, Sonoko. We'd excuse ourselves and lock the door if ever we would want some alone time. Right, Ran?"

Ran hit him in the leg. "Don't mind him, Sonoko. He's been staring at my legs since we got out of the house."

Sonoko took a seat on the lounging chair opposite to theirs. She wore a blue shirt with silver splatters on them and white washed shorts. Her hair was held back neatly in a headband as usual. "By the way, congratulations on the win, Shinichi. Everyone _loved _your winning kiss with Ran." She giggled. "If only Kyo would have let me do that to him. Ran, I saw you talking to him before the game, is he as hot up close?" Her eyes were wide with expectation.

"Well, he looks as good as every one says." Her eyes trailed to Shinichi and he caught her eye. "But I'm still a Shinichi girl." _Or rather, Shinichi's girl, _she mused.

"So what's up with you two now? Are you dating? Getting married? Is Ran finally knocked up or something?" Sonoko blasted them with her questions.

Shinichi and Ran looked at each other and laughed. "As of now, we're just in the dating part. But hey, Ran can move in with me anytime." He pulled Ran closer to him and nuzzled her neck.

Sonoko gave a look of disgust. "Ugh. No PDA in my house, please, especially not in front of me. Come one, guys. Get a room." Sonoko looked at the time on her cell phone. "Oh my gosh! I promised my sister I'd meet her up for lunch so that we could go shopping."

"It's okay, Sonoko. We understand. Thanks for having us. See you in school tomorrow!"

"Don't forget to reserve a room for us here! We'll sue if you don't." Shinichi joked. He stood up and helped Ran up.

Before they could say another good bye to Sonoko, she already left the room.

____

Shinichi knocked on the Mouri's front door. Ran was already dressed up and was just finishing combing her hair. "Dad, I'll get the door." She quickly grabbed her school bag and closed her room. "Bye, Dad." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You seem a little too happy today. Anything interesting you are not telling me?" Kogoro looked at his daughter skeptically.

"Nothing's up, Dad. I gotta go now. Bye!" She closed the door behind her to find Shinichi holding a cup of hot chocolate for her.

"Hey, Shin." Ran was about to kiss him on the cheek when he diverted his head and kissed her on the lips. Ran smiled and pulled away. "Someone might see us and tell my dad how gross his daughter is."

Shinichi kissed her cheek. "That's okay. Then I'll have his gross daughter all to myself." He held out his hand to her, his fingers stretched far apart showing that he wanted her to entwine hers around them. "Walk with me?"

Ran responded by locking her hands with his and they walked that way until they reached school.

___

Ran stopped walking at the school's gate. "Should we enter our classroom like this?" She held up their hands.

Shinichi faced her and swayed her attached hand. "They will know sometime so why not make it now?"

"The school gossips will _love_ this." Ran groaned.

"'Kudo Shinichi finally found his match'. A perfect story don't you think?"

Ran slid her finger across his nose. "You can be quite cocky at times, you know, Shin. It kinda takes a lot to look past that. I have to keep reminding myself that you look so good, I should just let your cocky remarks slip away."

"Well, if my cocky remarks let you like me, I'm keeping them."

___

Once again, the whole classroom came into hush when they saw Ran and Shinichi make their grand entrance hand in hand. Suddenly, everyone broke into applause and people came over to where Ran and Shinichi stood dumbfounded beside the door.

"Way to go, Shinichi! Now we don't have to keep guessing about you and Ran any more." Tomohisa patted Shinichi on the back.

"Oooh. You are _so _lucky, Ran. Shinichi is so, so perfect for you." A girl from the karate team told Ran.

Ran looked up at Shinichi and smiled. "I never knew we would get this much reception."

Sonoko butted in. "Ran, you two are just too cute. You're like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt—only way, way better. Oh, and minus the kids."

Shinichi patted Ran's stomach. "They're coming soon. Just wait, we're trying really hard."

The whole classroom roared in laughter and all of them joined the celebration of the first public appearance of Ran-and-Shinichi.

**A/N: Woot woot! I posted a few days earlier than my usual Sunday posting deadline. Yay me! I guess I can't hold back the Ran-and-Shinichi kawaii-ness. **

**I'm having sooo much fun dressing Ran up. Thank God for Looklet. Just to remind you guys, the links of the outfits are posted on my profile page. :)**

**We're off to the beach tomorrow! YAAAAY! Hopefully, I can get some inspiration while soaking in the sun and the view. *wink wink* **

**Don't forget to comment and review! Your support is greatly loved and appreciated. :D **


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